SAMBALPUR: The indefinite strike by house surgeons and junior doctors at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla, has entered its fifth day, leaving patients in a precarious situation. The protest, which began on August 16, has severely disrupted medical services, including the OPD, IPD and elective OT departments.
The strike was sparked by the rape incident at RG Kar Hospital in West Bengal and the subsequent attack on medicos during protests. In solidarity with the victim and their fellow doctors, the house surgeons, junior doctors and UG and PG medical students of VIMSAR began their protest by staging a dharna on the hospital premises.
Their primary demand is the implementation of safety measures at VIMSAR to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. However, despite their efforts, no tangible results have been achieved so far, they rued.
“One cannot assure that what happened in Kolkata won’t happen here,” said an agitating female doctor. She said at VIMSAR, female doctors work under several threats. While house surgeons lack separate rooms in emergency wards, they use those allotted to senior doctors, she alleged. “There are no separate washrooms in any of the wards, and sensitive areas lack CCTV cameras.
Our campus is open and accessible to everyone, which exposes us to public outrage due to our profession,” the doctor alleged. The government must ensure our safety so we can perform our duties fearlessly. Our two major demands are the implementation of a surveillance system here and the enactment of the Central Protection Act (CPA) across all healthcare institutions, the agitating doctors demanded.
Due to the agitation, all classes and academic activities, as well as OPD and IPD services, remain suspended. General secretary of the Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA), Jajati Keshari Panigrahi, said as resolved earlier, our agitation will continue indefinitely until our demands are met. On Saturday, the members of OMTA and IMA supported the protest, and a rally was held as part of the nationwide doctors’ protest.
“We are planning another march soon, and our dharna will continue. We understand that patient care is being affected, but these measures are crucial for the larger welfare of the doctor’s community,” he stated. VIMSAR superintendent Lal Mohan Nayak acknowledged senior doctors are overburdened with OPD and IPD duties. However, he assured emergency services remain unaffected despite the protest.